Bob Wolfrum-Wyomissing

A gallon of gasoline cost 53 cents in 1974. Minimum wage was $2.00 per hour. Barbra Streisand had the #1 song with “The Way We Were” and the comedy ‘Blazing Saddles’ was released. That’s also the year that Bob Wolfrum became an assistant coach at Wyomissing. He’s still there. Wolfrum is preparing for his 36th season as the Spartans’ head coach. “It’s a pleasure to be here. I can’t imagine not doing it to tell you the truth,” he said. Wolfrum (337-86-1) is second among active football coaches in Pennsylvania in wins. Only Jim Roth of Southern Columbia has more victories. Wolfrum told me that having assistants that stay with you is probably the biggest key to long-term success. The Spartans have only had one losing season during his incredible tenure. Wolfrum emphasized, “You’ve got to do what you believe in. You can’t be jumping around and changing things all the time. We’re fortunate that a lot of our former players are now coaching in our little league program.” The Wing-T offense has been the scheme of choice at Wyomissing. With Wolfrum as the maestro, the Spartans have won ten District 3 titles and the 2012 state championship in Class 2A. They’ve made 16 consecutive appearances in the postseason with a (38-18) all-time record in the District 3 tournament. Wolfrum is thrilled with the move to the Lancaster-Lebanon League. “Love it. Love it. I was for that right from the get go. The division we’re in is really competitive, a lot of good teams. You’re going to have a game every week,” he said. Berks Catholic, Conrad Weiser, Cocalico, Lampeter-Strasburg, ELCO, Donegal, and Octorara are also part of Section 4. I asked Wolfrum about having the Saints back on the schedule. He replied, “I’m happy. I didn’t want to play them early in the year non-league. I’d still rather have it be the last game, but you play when the league tells you to.” The 2022 edition of the Spartans certainly isn’t lacking in size. The offensive line will average nearly 260 pounds. PSU commit Jven Williams leads the way at 6’4 and 305 pounds. What would happen if Williams went up against former Wyomissing standout and NFL lineman Ross Tucker? “I’m not going to call that one. Just let me tell you, I would never bet against Ross. One of the ways Ross made it in the NFL was he was willing to fight anybody. Jven is tough, but Ross is tough to beat,” Wolfrum said with a grin. The former Spartans’ baseball coach was wearing a Yankees shirt at Saturday’s practice. He’s frustrated with the Bronx Bombers right now. Wyomissing could be hitting a lot of home runs this fall with seniors Drew Eisenhower and Charlie McIntyre returning at halfback. Wolfrum’s troops are hoping to reach the state championship game for the third straight year.